Star Trek Picard: Every Easter Egg & Hidden Reference From 'The Impossible Box'
12. In The Zone
A title card shows us the location of the La Sirena as she heads toward the Borg Artifact: "Beta Quadrant, Former Neutral Zone".
The Romulan Neutral Zone has been referenced in Star Trek: Picard before, both in "Absolute Candor" and in last week's "Stardust City Rag", but it's worth talking about again.
Established sometime between the Romulans' first chronological appearance in Star Trek: Enterprise and their reemergence in The Original Series' "Balance of Terror", a large expanse of space was established to separate the Federation from the hostile Romulan Star Empire. Numerous episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation dealt with the Romulans violating the Neutral Zone, much to the agitation of the Enterprise crew, including "The Enemy", "The Defector", "Data's Day", just to name a few.
According to Seven of Nine in last week's episode, the Romulan Neutral Zone collapsed after the destruction of Romulus, leaving the area lawless and in chaos. Seven's group, the Fenris Rangers, now patrol the former Neutral Zone, attempting to keep the peace.